May 3, 2007

My name is Tristan, and in exactly five weeks, my wife and I will fly to Togo, West Africa for 27 months of Peace Corps service. Sounds crazy? A few years ago, I would have thought so. I'm currently a software engineering consultant in Dallas, TX, and I am an admitted technolophile. Now I'm moving to a place where I probably won't have electricity in my home and definitely won't have running water.

This whole Peace Corps thing is still a little surreal at the moment. I'm sure it will start to sink in after we move all our furniture into storage this weekend and I start sleeping on the floor. Note to self- need to buy cheap mattress pad... I find myself coming up with different countdown lists every morning- only 14 days left at work, only 5 Saturdays left, only two weeks left after the last episode of 24, etc. I'm soaking in my last few weeks of Starbucks, cable television, and high-speed internet while I can, but honestly, I can't wait for this adventure to start. I'm so excited!

I will be working as an Information and Communication Technology Advisor for the Small Business Development program. I won't know what exactly that entails until I arrive at my post, but essentially I will be working with (you guessed it) small businesses and entrepreneuring individuals to teach basic computer skills and to find practical, sustainable uses for technology in the area.

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